Champagne Tour

Our trip had to be re-routed due to a bridge collapse, which is understandable yet the new route disappointing. This was not a Champagne tour -- just one day via bus to a cave. It was more of a WW1/11 site trip...which was interesting and we enjoyed that bit but not what we signed up for. The new route was 30% lovely, the rest mostly through industrial areas and unattractive routes; the guides were not well experienced with the new route and we frequently got lost. The lead guide was rather defensive when route etc suggestions were offered. The boat was lovely, though some people had trouble with power and leaks in their room; the owner did fix after a few days. The chef was excellent...food was 5 star. The captain and crew were helpful and delightful. Again, we understand that things happen...but the trip was not what we had booked and tripsite did not offer the option to rebook to a different trip or future date. We'll likley travel again with tripsite as we've had great experiences in the past (Croatia and Mosel), but wish they had offered options with such an extreme trip change.

Since we only got to spend 1 day in the champagne area, that part was not memorable. The historic features we did see were WEI museums and cemeteries.

The Clair D'Etoile is a very nice barge with a great captain and crew. The chef was amazing and the meals outstanding. This is a very easy ride, on mostly flat terrain. More advanced riders might want to look for somewhere with more challenging terrain. Beautiful woods near Paris and lots of places to visit. Really nice to come into Paris at Sunset and sail past all of the sights.

Arriving in Paris early evening along the Seine. Food was great-Frank did a fantastic job.

We had a wonderful time biking through Champagne! We did the loop ride through the Marne Valley and Côte des Blancs—it’s absolutely beautiful. If you enjoy Champagne, this is definitely the place to be. We stayed at the guesthouse Prava Domus on Avenue de Champagne in Épernay. It was a good experience—friendly hosts and an acceptable breakfast. Our experience with Tripsite was excellent. Rebecca, our tour agent, did a great job and made everything run smoothly. After the biking trip, we treated ourselves to a stay at the Loisium Wine & Spa Hotel, which we highly recommend. A perfect way to unwind!

The crew was supportive, professional, personable, friendly, and quick to respond. The meals were delicious and better than most restaurants ! Our bike guide was knowledgeable, supportive, funny, and adaptive to our needs as cyclists. It often felt like we were a family. The scenery from the bike and barge was beautiful. I often felt Mersey in the culture of the small villages we passed though.

Very fun tour. The entire crew and guides were amazing, friendly , fun, and very helpful!
Saw some great sights I’m sure I would not have seen otherwise.
Also met great people from all over the world.
I would recommend this trip to anyone thinking of doing it.

The guides were very good. Some of the bikes needed to be replaced Definite bike problems

This was my first bike and boat tour. It was wonderful! From the daily biking through the countryside of France, the delicious, healthy meals provided on the boat, and the friendly, helpful staff and tour guides, I totally enjoyed the experience. Our last afternoon and evening was spent in Lagny-sur-Marne where the summer solstice was being celebrated - Fête de la Musique. We had our own private viewing/listening area on the sun deck and were able to wander the streets and enjoy the festivities.
Remember to take rain gear (including waterproof pants). Cycling in the rain is its own unique experience!

Travelling through the countryside of France and the champagne house tur

We cruised with the crew of the Zwaantjze from Epernay to Paris. The captains (Barry and Eric), the chef (Frank) and first mate, Brendo were friendly and highly competent. The cabins are tiny, but comfortable. The quality of the bikes was excellent to poor. My bike was fine, however, the bike my husband had, which was a large frame, had no rear brakes. Even though there were only 7 guests, there was not another bike available for him larger than a small. The small bike had faulty electric assist, it did not work consistently. He was not happy about that. Our guides were wonderful people, but we do not understand the decision your company made to assign three people who were not familiar with the route or the history of the area. On two previous tours we have taken with your company, the guides offered extraordinary insights about the history and architecture of all the towns we visited. That info was not offered on this tour. We suggest you prepare a short video to be shown each night describing the towns and the types of roads that will be ridden on the following day. That would greatly enhance the experience.

Not many memorable parts of the journey.

The information provided about the mileage each day was inaccurate. The rides changed and the downloaded GPS maps were useless.

The guide lost members of the riding group and we had to wait long periods of time.

I requested fish and had vegetarian meals instead

I could go on. Very unexpected experience and very disappointed

For me the most memorable part of the trip was meeting all the passengers and crew and enjoying their company for a week. The rides each day that were planned were great and I can't say enough about the food we had on the boat. I would do another boat/bike trip again!

This was my first experience riding an electric bike and I was skeptical at first, but now I’m sold! I’ve done many bike tours in years past and am older now and haven’t ridden enough to be in shape for riding hills. The e-bike allowed me to greatly enjoy the tour AND have energy left over for enjoying evening activities! My favorite part of the tour was riding through the champagne area. The vistas were breathtaking and visits to the vineyards for wine tasting were such fun. I loved riding off the usual tourist paths through quaint villages filled with cottages that looked like they were from fairy tales, complete with beautiful gardens and clay tiled roofs. Stops along our daily rides to enjoy coffee in a cafe or maybe a beer or glass of wine in the late afternoons was an added treat. We often squeezed in a little shopping during these stops. The crew of the Zwaantje couldn’t have been more pleasant. The meals prepared by Chef Frank were a delight each evening!

Seeing the beautiful country side of the Champagne region of France. The three course meals each night were spectacular! Great job Chef Frank.

The boat living area and dining room were lovely. The meals were SO GOOD and beautifully presented. The guides were great and I learned a lot. I appreciated being divided into two groups. Seeing poppies in fields as we biked along was delightful.!!

We have been on 9 tours now - and this is definitely one of the good trips - why? the CREW!!!! Cpt Willie runs a great barge -that crew from the chef to the guides to the deck hand - all were involved in making our trip a success - and they were so much fun ....... the chef Frank definitely a big winner as well.
he ride was good - getting to see all the war memorials and WW1 battle regions - then on the champagne region .... very beautiful .... we had 2 tastings at 2 cellars - (what would have been nice is having a tasting at a champagne cellar - show casing a variety of labels and how the tastes vary .....this is the first time all were on electric bikes and they were definitely handy on the hills and handled Frances bike tracks and trails well .
The other passengers were alot of fun also and everyone got on well - but it was a good trip - good ride -good boat - good scenery - yep ready to book 2024!

The food on board Zwaantje was the best we have had on the three trips we have now completed with tripsite. The use of e-bikes was a good decision it allowed us to experience the sometimes challenging climbs with ease.